


Great Expectations, Love and Calculus

by Justdaise



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood Friendship, Fluff, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Izzy, Protective Siblings, Simon Lewis & Alec Lightwood Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28092762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justdaise/pseuds/Justdaise
Summary: Jace is the captain of the basketball team and because of his failing grades in calculus his grandmother is forcing him to study with a tutor.Needless to say, it doesn't go exactly as anyone planned.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland, Background Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood - Relationship
Comments: 22
Kudos: 66





	1. Exit Strategy

“It’s wrong. Try again.”

Jace almost smacked his head on the table when he heard the tutor boy comfortably sitting next to him say before going back to reading his book. _Still. composed._

They’d been at this for the past two hours. And it was a Saturday! Jace couldn’t even remember the last time in his life he was awake before noon on a Saturday. And here he was, putting up with what’s his face’s varying methods of tutoring, not only being forced to wake up at 9 in the morning, but also studying _calculus!_

It was practically the act for act play of his worst nightmare he didn’t even know he had. Though to be fair, no one thought the star player and the youngest captain of their high school’s basketball team in the past decade would get stuck with a tutor for calculus on a _Saturday!_

But life had been playing dirty with Jace ever since his grandmother caught wind of his terrible grades on the dumbest, most useless class on the planet, and had arranged for help, shocked at the seemingly unaware Jace that he’d let it get this far, considering he wouldn’t be allowed to play if his grades stayed like that. Jace had played dumb of course. He wasn’t about to unravel to his dear, most rule abiding grandmother that never in a million years would his not being a total nerd cost or even threaten his spot in the basketball team simply because all Jace ever needed to do was a display of puppy dog eyes and the presentation of the tragic possible loss of hope for the State Championship that was restored since Jace had joined the team. Not that Tatiana Blackthorn gave a shit about the fate of the basketball team and Jace’s puppy dog eyes, but she would’ve agreed to his ramblings just for him to shut up and get the hell out of her face, which was fine by practically _everybody!_ Except for Mrs. Imogen Herondale. Jace had a feeling even the freaking principle had been disappointed when she’d heard Jace was gonna be more of a pain in the ass than he ususally was. And that on top of that now she had two Herondales to deal with. Which was basically what Jace’s exit strategy out of this miserable situation was based on. Or at least what he’d hoped to be an exit strategy!

He’d hoped if he made his tutors miserable enough to give up on him and his everlasting inability to understand such bullshit as calculus, he could create enough chaos with his grandmother to go back to playing the State Championship card and on the basketball court. Principle Penhallow didn’t seem that fazed the teachers cut the important players some slacks. Mrs. Blackthorn couldn’t give a shit about Jace or his equation solving abilities. And he didn’t even need the stupid subject in his future of an NBA player anyway! It was really his grandmother’s stubborn nature, and possibly a tad dislike of the way Jace had chosen to go about high school (what with the constant partying and hooking up and breaking curfew and occasional bottles of vodka and gin being filled with water and placed back in the bar he mostly got away with). But Jace was confident he could get through to his grandmother. So he’d set about chasing away his tutors which turned out to be a walk in the park. Or sitting on a desk across from nerds who were too excited to be the nearest they’d ever been to Jace Herondale to teach him anything. He’d come to find it quite amusing actually. A few terms of endearment and flirting here and there, they’d blush, lose their shit, and either step down themselves or Jace would put a request up for a change due to ‘conflict of interest’. It was turning out to be satisfyingly easy. Well, until now.

He had been assured by his grandmother, when he’d told her that his last tutor was too busy daydreaming around him to teach anything, that this one was the best the school had to offer. Jace had faked reassurance but he knew the said best was also the last. Meaning he was nearly finished. He’d created his desired amount of chaos. His grandmother was not happy about the way all of his tutors seemed to be too busy mooning over him to actually tutor him which turned out to be a huge advantage considering that couldn’t be deemed Jace’s fault and he wouldn’t personally be responsible for her displeasure over the situation and so things would look a lot better for when he decides to be the personal source of displeasure himself. So if he had one more nerd to cross of his list to finally reach freedom, he could get on board with Saturday morning being the ultimate tutor’s only free time.

Though the fact that a teenage human being would want to get up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning to _tutor somebody_ should’ve been alarming, Jace just assumed this was how a typical calculus nerd who was in the tutoring business would spend his weekend. But the boy sitting next to him with his pretentious French novel, the boy who had decided they should move on from the text book and start with simple problems for Jace to understand the formulas and instructions better before moving on to the big ones, the annoyingly patient and not-so-stupid stupid boy who had basically solved all of the equations Jace was supposed to solve and slowly and thoroughly explained what he was doing, was not looking likely to crack any fucking time soon!

It wasn’t exactly hard realizing he was _not_ gonna be one of those who would fawn over him. In fact it was so obvious Jace hadn’t even tried to flirt his way out of this one. He didn’t want to spend too much energy that early on in the morning anyway. So he’d just resided on his original strategy. Get him to lose all hopes of Jace ever understanding a word he’s saying.

But the more he’d rejected his step by step explaining’s and came up with the wrong answer, it was like he challenged the boy more to get Jace to learn the shit he was saying! The problem was, Jace actually was learning the shit he was saying! And pretending he wasn’t was taking more and more energy than what Jace had programmed his body to have at that time of the week.

“Ugh I’m tired I need a break!!”

He exclaimed frustrated. Not bothering to take another look at the note pad.

“You were eating not ten minutes ago”

The boy answered calmly without looking up from his book.

“That was eating. I need a real break from all this. From _you!_ ”

Jace really wanted to be as calm and poised and unfazed as the person next to him. But just the fact that he was losing his shit while this random nerd wasn’t moving a muscle made him lose his shit even more and it was just becoming too annoying to hold back his sarcastic, if a bit childish remarks.

This seemed to work because the boy finally put his book on the table and looked at Jace.

“You think I wanna be here? Believe me, I’d much rather tutor someone who actually _wants_ to learn something.”

“Wow, spending the weekend studying with other kids who are studying. Wild action you’re missing out on Alex”

He said smirking. Folding his arms in front of his chest, finally feeling like he was gaining a little bit of control over this situation as well. But his answer didn’t have the exact effect he wanted since the boy spoke calmly. “It’s Alec,”

To his satisfaction, Jace noticed he continued with a little cold edge to his voice,

“And the only reason I’m here is because of the Principle’s insistence. Which was because of your Grandmother’s insistence. But if you’re too busy partying and messing around to realize you need help and want to go back to the way things were by all means, just ask your grandma to leave you alone and stop hounding Principle Penhallow for a new tutor every day”

“Wow _Alec_ , I’m surprised you know such things as partying even exist!”

He was not holding back anymore, “sorry if we’ve been of inconvenience for you tutor people. But I don’t need help.”

He added the last part bitterly. He knew he sucked at calc, but he wasn’t about to let some stupid nerd push him around and act like he was the boss of him just cause he liked to pretend learning shit that would be done by calculator in an instant made him superior.

“You’re failing calculus.”

The boy, Alec, said, back to his calm self. And somehow it managed to piss Jace off even more.

“Oh it’s cute how you think I give a shit.”

He sneered and Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t your spot at the basketball team on the line? Or college?”

The tutor asked but it was more like stating a fact. Jace chuckled and unfolded his arms, leaning forward and looking directly into the blue eyes he had just come to notice.

“Let me explain to you how things work for people like me sweetheart. Being the captain of the basketball team with the State Championship coming along no one is gonna jeopardize my position. Least of all Blackthorn and her shitty class. You might think skipping school or god forbid having fun is the worst thing that a student can do, but nobody cares about good grades. You know what they care about? Take a wild guess. Starts with C and ends with Hampionship. Something only I can make happen. Oh and college? They all would love to have extra funding to their sports programs, labs, libraries. Renewing the campus, the dorms. And if they have to give a spot to one of their friends’ kids as a favor they’d be more than happy to do it. So you let me worry about that okay?”

It was bullshit. Jace’s grandmother might have a lot of influence, but she would never make it that easy for him. She wasn’t that kind of woman, or parent. And Jace wouldn’t ask that of her anyway. He had plans for college. And not a single one of them required asking for his grandmother’s money. He not only was sure of the basketball scholarships that would rain on him when the time came, he was aiming for some of the best. And he deserved it because although he was a talented player, he’d worked his ass off to be the best. The reason though, that he was being a complete asshole right now had nothing to do with any of that.

He saw a flash of disbelief and then something in the lines of disgust on Alec’s face before he let out a humorless chuckle and got up.

“You know what, you can go ahead and have as much break as you want.”

He said now with a cold expression while closing his book and gathering up his stuff on the table, shoving them into his backpack.

“What are you doing?”

Jace was honestly shocked, not expecting his relaxed stern tutor to fold now.

“Seeing how you have zero need for me there’s no reason we should be doing this anymore.”

He strapped his backpack on his shoulder and walked right out of the library without another word or glance.

Jace sat on his chair in awe watching his tutor leave. Then a grin spread over his face.

“Au revoir Alec!”

He muttered wickedly. It was over. The _best_ and last had been dealt with too. Now was time to face his grandmother with the cold hard truth that her grandson should finally be left to his own devices even if he sucks at bullshit like calculus.

But before any of that, he had to get some much needed sleep.

***

“Johnathan?”

There was a knock on Jace’s door, waking him up. He forced himself not to groan while answering,

“Yes?”

He sat up on his bed and saw his grandmother stride in and open her mouth to say something before taking in Jace’s naked state under his bed covers and have a shadow of confusion cast over her fierce features,

“You’re asleep?”

“Not anymore”

Jace said in a low voice but knowing his grandmother had heard it and the disapproval that was no doubt going to be shown on her face he looked away to grab his shirt.

“I thought you were going to be busy until well afternoon. I came to ask you what you’d like for lunch”

Well that was awfully sweet of her, Jace thought as he was sliding in his shirt. Awfully sweet was never his grandmother’s set mode so that only meant she’d been looking forward to this tutor’s progress with Jace.

“Well if you must know,”

Jace said looking around to find his phone from under the rumpled covers, “I haven’t had a decent lasagna in a long time”

“Jonathan”

His grandmother said and since it was the no nonsense ‘Jonathan’ Jace stopped and met her eyes reluctantly.

“What happened?”

She wasn’t frowning but her accusing tone was enough to let Jace know she was already suspicious enough so he got up from his bed and went on the offensive too,

“Well, your so called _best_ decided I wasn’t worth dealing with and ducked out the first chance he got”

It wasn’t like Jace didn’t know he wasn’t being fair. He knew well enough, just thinking about Alex and his stupid calmness and ability to get under Jace’s skin... well. He was the one who’d left after all.

Now, Imogen Herondale was frowning,

“What’s that supposed to mean? Not worth dealing with?”

“I don’t know maybe you should ask him”

Jace said and made a move for the door but his grandmother’s gaze didn’t let him get far,

“What did you do?”

***

“Jia, you assured me we’d have no problems this time!”

“Imogen it’s out of my hands”

“Out of your hands? You’re the principle of this establishment how could it be out of your hands???”

His grandmother’s slightly raised voice at the end of her sentence got Jace to come out of his little bubble of peace and quiet and back to his grandmother and principle Penhallow going at it about this fucking tutor business. Of course Jace didn’t expect his grandmother to drop it with just him saying ‘I didn’t do anything’, but all this was awfully boring and Jace wanted nothing more than getting out of that goddamn office.

“I’m sorry Imogen I’ve done everything I can”

“You gave me your word you’ll get my grandson a proper help”

“And I did. Alec is the best the school has to offer Imogen. He’s smart, consistent and takes his responsibilities very seriously. But he doesn’t want to tutor Jace anymore”

“Anymore??? He barely lasted a session!”

Jace could tell his grandmother’s patience was wearing thin. Principle Penhallow sighed in defeat and took off her glasses. Leaning slightly towards Jace’s grandmother and clasping her hands,

“I’ll be honest with you Imogen. Alec didn’t even want to take Jace on because he already had a lot of students but I insisted since I’d promised you I’d do everything I can for Jace’s improvement”

Jace resisted a mock grin because his principle’s gaze fell on him as she continued,

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but he’s saying he’d rather be expelled than forced to be your tutor.”

Jace looked away this time cause there was no way he could mask his facial expression on that sentence. Cry him a river!

“And that is why it’s out of my hands Imogen. I can’t very well force the boy into doing something he absolutely doesn’t want to do. I’m sorry. But you’re going to have to look for a tutor for your grandson somewhere else.”

With that directed at his grandmother, principle Penhallow leaned back on her chair and straightened her back, indicating she was done talking.

Imogen’s chest heaved up as she took a deep breath. She squared her shoulders, getting up. Jace followed silently thanking for this shitshow to be over.

“Thank you for your time principle Penhallow”

“Of course Imogen.”

Jia said softly, probably to ease the tension but Imogen Herondale’s face was had already set in hard lines. She gave a stiff nod and without any words turned back to leave. Jace nodded to his principle in goodbye before taking his leave too. A few steps behind his grandmother in the hallway he tucked his hands in his pockets and said,

“So. Can I go back to normal life now?”

His grandmother came to halt at that. She turned back to face Jace and he kinda expected the daggers that particular question had gotten her to throw at him, but that didn’t mean it was any less unpleasant.

“What is normal life Jonathan?”

She asked sternly with a slight frown on her forehead and her voice echoed off the empty hallway. It was Saturday after all and they’d come to school after Imogen had called the principle and demanded an explanation for the morning. Jace didn’t even know the school could be open on the weekends. But if he had to guess he’d put good money on _Alec_ being a teenage version of what the woman used to be in her time in high school, what with working on the weekends and all. Jace shuddered at even the thought of living like that. He knew his grandmother didn’t like how Jace was solely focused on basketball and having as much fun as he could but he wasn’t about to live for anyone else but himself and he’d never apologized for who he was.

He looked right in his grandmother’s eyes and said,

“I know you don’t like it Gran─”

“I don’t like it because it’s wrong”

Oh bold of her to enforce her own personal judgment of right and wrong as something to live by for the rest of the world!

“Who says it’s wrong??? You?”

“Yes. And since you’re still underage and under my care you will listen to me.”

“I have been listening to you!”

Jace said practically shouting and his grandmother gave him an even more pointed look,

“Keep your voice down young man”

Jace took his hands out of his pockets and went on trying his hardest to control his voice,

“I haven’t set foot in a court in three weeks! My team’s gone to two games without their captain all because the almighty Imogen Herondale demanded I pass some bullshit subject─”

“Language”

“─I’m not even gonna need my whole life! A class that no one cares if I pass or don’t pass and a class that I’ve been studying for and the fact that every single tutor in this school sucks─”

“Not the last one. Jia told me you weren’t going to have the usual problem with him and I looked at his records. He’s dealt with admittedly not _so_ far worse than you”

Jace let out a humorless chuckle and threw up his hands. He looked away but his grandmother’s gaze didn’t leave him,

“I don’t care if you’re never going to need that subject in your life. I don’t care if no one in this wretched school cares if you’re responsible enough to stand by the choices you made and see them through as long as you can shoot baskets. I care. And if I have to take you to a school where teachers think passing classes is as much important as sports don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t do it.”

Jace’s head whipped back at her at that, sure he had a shocked expression on his face. As expected, she seemed absolutely serious.

“You will reach an acceptable level in that class before you set foot in the basketball court.”

She finally took his gaze off Jace’s enraged face and started walking again. Although she wasn’t done just yet,

“The sooner you accept that Johnathan, the better off you’ll be”

Jace still hadn’t moved. He took a deep breath and asked,

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that when no tutor in this whole school is any good?”

Once again Imogen Herondale turned to him and raised an eyebrow,

“The last one is good.”

Jace let out a dramatic sigh saying,

“Yes, but he’d rather be expelled than spend another second tutoring me. Remember?”

His grandmother only shrugged,

“Then get him to change his mind.”

She turned and continued yet again not quite finished,

“I believe you have a knack for charming people unintentionally. I’m sure you can manage to undo whatever you’ve done with that boy if you put your mind to it.”

She exited the building and left Jace alone in the hallway.

So much for a clean exit strategy.

He was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3  
> English is my second language so I hope you forgive my mistakes or better yet let me know!  
> So the thing is... I'm super freakin lazy with writing and honestly I think the only one worse than me is GRRM(-_-) but I've also never actually started posting something multi-chaptered so what do you know? Maybe my conscious works some magic and I won't let anyone down by month-length hiatuses.  
> Anyway I have a full outline for this one and look forward to writing it and I hope you bear with me through it=)  
> Have a good one<3


	2. Tutoriposal

“Hey! Are you even listening to what I’m fuckin saying Jace?”

Jace wasn’t. His attention was to the raven haired senior sitting with a nerdy looking guy at the far end of the cafeteria. He subtly cast his gaze from the tutor to Jordan,

“I think I got the memo Kyle”

He said to the shooting guard who was filling for him as temp captain, bored. Jordan tilted his head to the side and lifted his brows,

“So care to tell me what the hell you’re planning to do about it?”

That was a very good question. Jace hadn’t been paying attention to Jordan’s rambling but he knew it was about the team and the toll his absence was taking.

“I’m working on it”

He said and took another glance at the far end corner before going back to his burger, deliberately ignoring the flustered look on Jordan’s face.

“Working on it?”

“Yes. Working on it”

“And do you happen to have in consideration the game we've got in three weeks?”

“Kyle─”

Jace started but Jordan went on defiantly,

“And that we only got lucky in the last two but no way we stand a chance against St. Raziel’s Angels without you?”

“You don’t think I know that?”

Jace was looking at him now, burger totally forgotten, schooling an expression he knew would’ve sent anyone else running. Jordan sensed he was getting near danger zone too so stopped talking but Jace knew his next point would’ve been that their chances of making it to the State Championship would take a nose dive if they lost against St. Raziel’s _Assholes_ and even _if_ Jace managed to get back in the game with all the time away from the team and the down spirit the odds wouldn’t look too promising for the Idris Falcons. He _needed_ to be back before that game.

Jace knew it, Jordan knew it. And the rest of the team were on edge because of it. That didn’t exactly need reporting. And was basically the only reason Jace was stealing glances at the blue eyed boy who’d proven to be the only one capable of teaching Jace anything on the steaming pile of shit that was calculus, aka the exclusive source of misery in his life in the past month and especially since the basketball season had started. Thinking about it and how he was still nowhere near getting himself out of this mess made him want to punch something. Hard. Too bad he didn’t want to make a scene in the middle of the cafeteria and as much as he hated to admit it, in front of Alec Lightwood. If he wanted to – as his grandma put it – charm him into going back to being his tutor he had to tone down the absolute asshole attitude around him as much as he could. Somehow thinking of that made him want to punch even harder. Jace found Alec Lightwood had that effect on him and was not liking it but he also didn’t like his exit strategy being shit all over on so things not going his way was also proving to be one of the other dirty tricks life was playing on Jace lately.

He’d planned so carefully, been so sure he could pull it off. And he would’ve pushed harder if it weren’t for Imogen’s very serious, very scary threat of transferring Jace to another school. Jace knew his grandmother well enough to not take this lightly. And he was in no way going to risk a varsity point guard in Idris High just to prove her a point. Jace knew he could at least piss her off a little by hiring a tutor outside of school and not going along with her demand of Jace _undoing_ whatever he’d done with this tutor she so surely thought would be the answer to all of his (calculus) problems. But it all went back to the not-so-stupid stupid tutor being the _only one_ out of everybody, Jace’s teacher very much included, to have been able to make him understand anything. So if Jace could score him and make some semblance of progress maybe he would go back to being on his grandmother’s good graces and granted some kind of probationary return to the team until he passed the next test.

It was a well thought out plan. One that had taken Jace 3 full days to come up with. But. The undoing was the subtle way of saying he had to apologize to get the tutor boy on board. And well… asking wasn’t Jace’s strongest forte. Especially if it was for forgiveness. And he had a feeling he couldn’t pretend with Alec Lightwood either. The tutor had gone so far as giving the Principle, who Jace assumed was like the Pope of all high school nerds, an ultimatum. So obviously he wasn’t messing around and really did want nothing to do with Jace. And since he obviously lacked any basic human range of emotions Jace was sure he couldn’t use his best charming techniques. Which were probably the reason why he never had to ask for anything in the first place. And why he was only ‘working on it’.

“Look man,”

His teammate finally said resigned,

“I’ve done everything I can. Coach has done everything he can. But the team needs its captain and it’s pretty fuckin clear we’re not gonna win shit without you. So whatever you’re working on, just let us know if you think we can help? We trust you to do everything you can too.”

Jace dropped the glare and sighed, nodding at Jordan’s words. The shooting guard patted his shoulder once before taking his mostly untouched lunch and standing up to leave without saying anything else. Jace stared at his cheeseburger for a while. This wouldn’t get any easier by postponing. The only thing he was helping with was the chance of St. Raziel’s fuckers winning the next month’s game. No fucking way Jace was gonna let that happen.

***

“Heard you told principle Penhallow you’d rather be expelled than go back to being my tutor”

Jace said before getting to the bleachers, loud enough so the only person occupying them would hear. Alec Lightwood lifted his head from where it was bent over a book and when he came to full recognition of just who was standing in front of him, his expression went cold.

“You heard right,”

He said and turned his gaze back to his book,

“Now go away”

Jace huffed and started going up to where the tutor was sitting.

“What are you doing?”

Alec snapped but Jace didn’t stop until he reached him, sitting a few seats away.

“I came to apologize”

There. He said it. The last shred of his dignity─

“Okay”

“Okay??”

Alec had closed his book and turned to Jace,

“Yes. But that’s not all you came here for is it?”

He spat the words in Jace’s face. Of course he wasn’t gonna make it that easy.

“Look, this isn’t exactly easy but─”

“Oh the guy who never has to face the consequences of his actions finds it hard to… face the consequences of his actions? How surprising”

Alec said and in a manner that was familiar to Jace, started packing up his things.

“I do want you to be my tutor again─”

Alec let out a sarcastic laugh not looking up,

“Of course you do because you finally realized your Grandmother isn’t messing around and now that you can’t cheat your way out of this one you came here to _apologize_. Well you’re gonna have to find someone else because like I said to Prin─”

“Jesus would you shut up a second?”

Jace said without even realizing it and only then did it hit him. This was _not_ going the way he had spent the past few days planning for it. He let out a sigh and started before the senior could pick up on rambling again,

“I want you to be my tutor but not for what you think,”

Alec neutered his expression that’d gone startled when Jace had interrupted him but kept quiet. Jace went on,

“Not exactly anyway but I do want to explain Saturday and when I’m done if you don’t want to see me again I swear I won’t ask you anything.”

Alec pinned him with a serious look for a few moments before sighing and putting down his book,

“Okay”

Well… that was his chance. But it wasn’t just his, Jace reminded himself. He had to do right by his team. He huffed and looked away from Alec, staring off into the afternoon sky on the other side of the football field.

“I suck at math.”

He expected another sarcastic laugh or a whispered ‘duh’ but when nothing came he turned his gaze back at Alec. The tutor had a slight frown and an expectant look on his face but didn’t look like he was gonna snap at Jace for stating the fucking obvious. Jace took a deep breath and maintained eye contacted with the blue eyes locked with his golden.

“And I suck at nothing. Ever since I can remember I’ve been amazing at everything without even trying so hard. I don’t excel at academic shit because I don’t want to. The little biology or English I study takes me far higher than I need and I don’t have to even talk about sports or basketball. But I’m a fucking idiot when it comes to math. And I guess…”

He looked away once again but Alec’s eyes didn’t leave him.

“I don’t cope well with being the idiot in something.”

Jace finally managed to get it out. He took a deep breath again and continued,

“It’s not like I don’t know I need help. It’s that I just can’t seem to understand it no matter who’s trying to teach me. So for so long I stopped trying. And when I was forced to do it… well.”

Jace looked back up at Alec, who was for once patiently listening to him. Jace suddenly realized at that moment it actually wasn’t the first time Alec was being patient with him.

“Didn’t sit well with me. And I got all the frustration of my only failure out on you.”

He was looking right into Alec’s blue eyes when he said that. It was true that Jace was only apologizing to try and convince Alec to be his tutor again but he had always prided himself on his honesty and the ability to not bullshit people no matter the case. And honestly speaking, that was what he’d done with Alec. Jace wouldn’t want to be a hypocrite by trying to ignore or turn it into something it wasn’t.

“And you didn’t deserve that. So I’m sorry”

He didn’t break the eye contact even after he was finished but Alec looked down. They were quiet for a moment or two before the senior started speaking in a low voice,

“I work with a lot of kids who have a hard time passing their classes cause of the shit they gotta deal with back at home,”

Alec shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, staring at his shoes. He continued calmly,

“Or even with kids who try hard and are good students but still struggle with college prospects and have to try even harder to widen their options.”

He turned his gaze back on Jace who was attentively listening and went on with a little more seriousness to his tone,

“Seeing you sitting at your mahogany table in the fancy library of your fancy townhouse, not wanting to put an ounce of effort into passing your class because you have the privilege of not having to worry about money…”

He shook his head,

“It was really infuriating.”

Well. That certainly made Jace out to be an even bigger asshole than he’d meant to. He hadn’t meant what he’d said about money and his Grandmother’s influence and actually hated to even think of being like that. But that wouldn’t make it any easier for Alec to take. Even though there was really no need for him to justify himself, least of all to Jace. He was trying to get rid of the tutor after all. 

“Would it help if I say I knew I was being an ass and just said all those things _to_ infuriate and drive you away?”

He asked with the same amount of seriousness as Alec. The senior stared down the bleachers and after a moment’s consideration said,

“I don’t know. I guess… but you were still an ass!”

He looked back at Jace with a little of the old venom in his eyes, albeit much _much_ less intense.

“I know and I said I’m sorry didn’t I?”

Jace exclaimed, realizing he wanted to clear out the air with the tutor. He didn’t seem like a patronizing arrogant overachiever nerd as much as Jace had written him off to be. The _annoyingly_ _smart_ patronizing arrogant overachiever nerd to be exact. But he was going way easier on him than Jace had anticipated. He hadn’t mocked Jace for being an idiot, considering how easy it would’ve been as he’d witnessed firsthand just how dumb could Jace be when it came to anything math related. Or even worse, hadn’t thought Jace was lying about it to get an easy way out. It was never easy for Jace to talk about himself, let alone laying his weaknesses bare for someone who didn’t particularly like him to see. Somehow Alec’s easy acceptance of Jace’s truthfulness had sparked up bits of definitely unwanted respect towards the blue eyed boy and possibly legit regret for the way he’d talked to him on Saturday.

“You did”

Alec finally said after a few moments and looked at Jace with a finally venom free expression,

“Okay I accept your apology”

“You do?”

Jace asked, again too fast to cover the shock in his voice. He had thought the tutor was gonna make him suffer a lot more than that. Alec didn’t respond to his question though. Instead he fixed Jace with another serious look and said,

“You don’t suck at math”

“What’s that supposed to─”

“You do it every day, with every game you play,”

Alec didn’t let Jace finish.

“You’re a good player, right? You calculate the amount of force you put on throwing the ball, the angle. Estimate the distance. You do all that in your head. And you don’t notice it because you have confidence you’re good at it. But you freak out when you see problems that are much simpler than the ones you do with Basketball, on paper.”

He looked away again, staring in the middle of the football field.

“You don’t suck, you’re actually pretty good. You just have to stop thinking of it as a weakness and quit resenting it. Then you won’t freak out when you see a problem, and you can actually think to solve it.”

Jace kept looking at Alec but didn’t say anything. He could say he’d never looked at it that way. And also that he was maybe a little closer to understanding exactly why Alec Lightwood was thought to be the best tutor the school had. When he regained his composure Jace asked with a teasing edge,

“Does that mean you’re back to being my tutor?”

The senior turned his gaze back at him and spoke calmly again, like he was trying to not to break the newly formed truce.

“Look, there are plenty of good students who can─”

“No no”

Jace interrupted him. If Alec wanted to be all nice and understanding then he might as well understand just what was at stake for Jace here,

“It has to be you”

“Why?”

Alec asked with a confused frown and Jace stood up because he couldn’t talk about this sitting down,

“You’re the only one who managed to actually make me understand _anything_.”

“But you said so yourself you weren’t trying to learn you just wanted to get rid of every tutor you had to study with”

“Yes. Including you. But the difference is, I was actually learning even though I was trying _really_ hard not to”

Jace reasoned because it was true even if annoyingly so. Every other tutor had given up on or given into Jace in no time. But not Alec. Sure he’d left eventually too – Jace could be accomplishing like that – but only after managing to drill some calculus into Jace’s brain. That was what had Jace adamant on bringing the raven haired senior back onboard. And he wouldn’t back off now.

Alec sighed and looked like he was gonna disagree with him again so Jace decided enough was enough.

“Look,”

He walked closer to Alec and pinned him with a serious look of his own.

“It’s true I wouldn’t have come to apologize if I didn’t want you back. And I know it’s such an ass move but I only did it because I gotta get back to my team. They’ve already taken enough hits because of my absence and I can’t not be there for our game against St. Raziel’s next month. So I need someone to teach me and teach me fast. Like it or not you are the best the school has to offer and believe me I would’ve loved to go behind my Grandmother’s back and hire someone from outside but it would take me time to find out if they’d be able to teach me anything like you did. The time the team and I don’t have. So you’re our best bet. And we need that bet, cause a lot of us got a lot riding on this season.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

Jace asked taken aback only to have Alec ignore him yet again,

“I already have a lot of students. And I don’t exactly like you Herondale”

“But?”

Jace threw up an eyebrow, holding Alec’s gaze but his hopefully soon to be tutor looked away.

“Come on!”

Jace threw his hands up,

“Do you want a tutoriposal?”

Alec’s head turned back at him and he had an eyebrow up but still looked pretty unimpressed. Deciding he was gonna go along with it Jace knelt down and started with a confident smirk on his lips,

“Do you Alec Lightwood, take thee Jace Herondale to be your lawfully assigned student? In passing and failing. In─”

Alec probably decided he’d had enough cause he made a move to stand up but Jace was quick to stop him,

“Come on! Team’s screwed─ _I’_ m screwed if you don’t help me”

He gave Alec his best poppy dog eyes with a touch of sincerity and seriousness. The senior finally sighed in defeat,

“If you piss me off one more time─”

Jace flashed him a crooked grin and taking up his previous tone he said,

“I now pronounce us, tutor and tutee. We may now─”

Before he could finish his sentence Alec, apparently now completely done with his shit, grabbed his bag and started down the bleachers from the opposite side of where Jace was still very much on his knees. Jace got up and still smirking said with his voice a little raised,

“That was the best part you know”

“Shut up Herondale”

This time, Jace actually listened. He suspected he’d be doing much more of that now that he was in a committed tutorship with Alec Lightwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos! Man they're energizing!  
> And again, I apologize for any mistakes or inaccuracies. My brain told me not to post it at 5 a.m. but I was excited and a little worried if I keep delaying it it'll be another 2 weeks before I actually post this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading<3


	3. Study Plans and Parties

“And then I set my alarm to wake up and call her to say good morning. Turns out she’d been awake since 2 hours before that to go have breakfast in that little café that’s basically a hundred square feet of everything that’s magical about Paris cafés and gets too crowded and she just wanted to take some time to enjoy it in quiet!”

Simon finished in a tone and gesture that might as well have been to indicate the most heartbreaking events in human history. Alec just turned over a page of his book and continued reading silently. He wasn’t about to contribute to Simon’s wailing about what a tragedy it was that Isabelle had wanted to visit a café a little early on in the morning. Even though he was wondering exactly what the problem was. But Alec was Izzy’s brother after all. So he couldn’t take her boyfriend’s side anyway. Even if said boyfriend happened to be his, currently overly hysterical, best friend.

“Simon, I think I speak for everyone in the whole cafeteria,”

Clary spoke while delicately erasing a tiny part of her sketch she was working on, “when I ask how the hell is that something to get this worked up about”

She didn’t lift her head, unlike Alec. Otherwise she could see just how bigger Simon’s eyes got at her seemingly very obvious question.

“Hello?? Hot French guys and Parisian cafés with their magic preserved by the empty streets and quiet? That’s like, San Diego Comic Con when you want to find yourself a nerd boyfriend!”

‘Why would you want a nerd boyfriend’ was at the tip of Alec’s tongue before he caught himself. He assumed someone might just suggest he ask his little sister about it. Regardless, that was─

“Bullshit”

If it turned out Clary was the reason Alec didn’t talk that often he would not be surprised.

“Bull─”

“Are you saying Izzy’s planning on cheating on you?”

Alec finally asked before Simon went off to back his stupid logic. And a little because he was feeling like he had to defend his sister’s sense of commitment and loyalty.

“Yeah Simon is that what you’re saying?”

Clary said finally looking up from her clipboard “Because that’s only more bullshit since Izzy doesn’t need any specific time or place to get herself a hot French guy.”

She said casually before taking her glance away and starting to unwrap the cover around her sandwich, “Or any guy really. She didn’t get you at a San Diego Comic Con either did she.”

Clary added before taking a bite. Simon was starting to reach what Alec had named, boiling point so he decided he had to say something,

“And if she wants to dump you for a hot French guy she’ll say that to your face.”

He thought it would calm his friend down but seeing how Simon went from tomato red to pale in a matter of seconds he realized he’d misjudged the situation.

“Has she said anything to you? Does she want to break up with me and date a hot French guy? Is she─”

“Simon!”

Alec put his book down and gave his friend a serious look,

“Izzy isn’t planning on cheating on you or dumping you or checking out hot French guys in magical hours in Paris cafés or any other city in France or any other country in the Europe she’s currently visiting okay? Because if she was, she had no problems telling that to your face.”

He finished and watched as Simon opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. Alec picked up his book but kept his eyes on Simon,

“Stop worrying okay? Izzy only went because Mom insisted Max shouldn’t be alone. She’s not planning on dumping you for hot French or sexy Italians or exotic Spanish”

“And even if she was,”

Clary swallowed and said to Simon, not unkindly, “She would’ve told you about it”

Simon’s shoulders slacked off and he let out a huff,

“I guess.”

“Great”

Clary said and uncapped her juice,

“Now you can let us live in the peace and harmony we had before your girlfriend went on a Europe tour”

She said and knocked back her head to drink as fast as she can and go back to her sketching. Alec didn’t take his eyes off Simon though,

“She misses you too.”

Simon looked up.

“You know Izzy isn’t great with words. But I know she wishes you were there.”

Simon smiled like a three year old who was told he could have dessert before dinner and Alec found himself smiling a little too. It was too easy to make him happy. Izzy _had_ gone to accompany Max, but Alec knew she wanted to spend time with their Dad too. It’d been 6 months since the divorce and Robert’s move to London. 6 months since the mess that had been his Dad’s not-so-mystery woman and his own coming out and Alec knew Izzy didn’t say anything for his sake, but she missed Robert. All the same, that didn’t mean she couldn’t use Simon’s ever cheerful presence in the trip their Dad had insisted Max join him on because he was the youngest and needed to know his father hadn’t totally abandoned him. Even though Alec thought he kind of had.

He shook his head and tried to bring his focus back to his book. Nothing good ever came out of thinking too much about his father. It took Simon only a few seconds to start up again,

“So… has she said anything? Like she wishes I was there to─”

“Simon.”

Clary interrupted and although she didn’t bother to look up or even make her voice sound threatening both Alec and Simon knew it meant if she had to hear one more word about Simon’s pining some first issue comic book or limited edition action figure was going to go missing for a good few weeks. Of course the reason it went that far was because Simon could never leave well enough alone and since this time was no exception he straightened his back again and opened his mouth to no doubt protest loudly,

“Oh come on I’m─”

“Anyone ever told you you’re annoyingly loud?”

Alec tried his best not to let out a huff of frustration when he heard the voice that interrupted Simon. Jace Herondale, aka the most recent pain in his ass, flung a chair near the trio’s table and dropped himself on it. And if he noticed the three heads staring his way with zero hospitality, he ignored them.

“Anyone ever told you you’re annoyingly imposing?”

Clary said with a flat expression but Jace didn’t move his gaze from Simon,

“Everyone’s got relationship drama. Do you know how boring it would be if everyone were loud about it?”

Simon opened his mouth to answer but Jace turned to Alec like he forgot Simon existed the moment he finished his sentence,

“So I was thinking,”

Alec didn’t do him the curtesy of looking up from his precious book.

“If we want to do this right _and fast,_ we need to study everyday”

So he still very much wanted Alec for his tutor, Alec thought and sighed inwardly. It was nice to know he was good at his job. But he couldn’t help but think this time his talent for undoing Mrs. Blackthorn’s damage was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. He wanted to help Jace get back to his team as fast as possible. But Idris High’s Golden Falcon had brought down walls around Alec he probably hadn’t to explain himself to his own Grandmother. So Alec had this faint hope that Jace might find spending more time with him somewhat uncomfortable and ultimately go for someone else. Because as much as Alec wanted to help him and the school’s basketball team (even Alec couldn’t deny Jace’s role in the team’s success), he couldn’t say that dealing with the blonde wasn’t going to be… to put it nicely, challenging. And Alec could do just fine without another challenge in his life at the moment.

“I can’t today.”

Alec said eyes still very much glued to his book.

“Wha─”

“I told you I have a lot of students.”

He did. But no one for the day. Alec wasn’t a fan of postponing but if he wanted to deal with Jace Herondale he needed more than a moment’s notice.

“Yes but none of them are as…”

The blonde started but came to a halt when he saw the look Alec was throwing at him as if to warn him he was on very thin ice.

“ _urgent_ if it wouldn’t infuriate your royal nerdness,”

Jace said rolling his eyes,

“as I am.”

The blonde finished and Alec looked back at his book again,

“And you would know?”

Alec said a little annoyed at Jace for expecting him to cancel everyone else for him.

“Listen here Lightwood,”

Jace plucked the book out of Alec’s hands no doubt thinking it would bring Alec’s focus to him but Alec stayed frozen in his position.

“Oh he did not just touch the book”

Simon said with disbelief before biting down a baby carrot.

“He most certainly did”

Clary said in a sing song voice and Jace took a glance at them before subtly clearing his throat and putting the book back in Alec’s hands,

“I think we established that I need this done as fast as possible?”

Alec blinked a little to come back to his senses from the shock that someone had dared take a book from him and Clary spoke,

“I think he established that if you decide to continue to be an asshole he wouldn’t waste time trying to teach you anything”

Of course Alec had told his friends about the updated situation with Jace Herondale and they’d been nothing but supportive. Clary even offered to do what she always did with some of Alec’s students and make him any flashcards or drawings that would help him study better which Alec thought was very generous considering she could care less about the blonde or any of the rich and popular of Idris High. And Simon… well. He said he’d fight anyone who bothered Alec and he truly appreciated the sentiment but was not looking to lose his best friend in a fist fight anytime soon. They could be protective idiots like that and Alec loved them for it even though he could totally handle the blonde captain even if he did moronic things like touch Alec’s books.

“I didn’t realize I was talking to you Ginger”

Jace turned his head acknowledging Clary for the first time and it only caused her to smirk,

“Attacking the hair color. How very insightful”

Clary Fairchild might be small. But any idiot would realize in about two seconds how bad an idea it is to underestimate her. Jace Herondale looked like he’d just come to the realization and opened his mouth to return fire so Alec jumped in,

“Give me your phone”

He said to Jace before Clary moved past words and brought in her fists which was a very likely outcome. The blonde did nothing but stare at Alec for a few moments before reaching into his pocket and handing Alec his phone. Alec’s fingers moved over the screen and his own cellphone started ringing in a moment. He gave Jace’s back and fetched his, saving the latest number,

“I have to come up with a study plan and other details I’ll text you when it’s ready”

Jace Herondale slid his phone back in his pocket,

“Fine”

He said reluctantly before his lips tugged into a smirk and he leaned in a little closer toward Alec,

“Don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re not smooth Lightwood”

He stood up and turned on his heels to leave, probably missing Alec’s eye roll. Yup, challenging was putting it _very_ nicely.

“Why did you take him on again?”

Simon said taking his eyes off the back of the blonde’s head,

“He’s an asshole”

“That’s the first true thing you’ve said all day”

Clary said and looked at Alec,

“Don’t hesitate to drop him if he got too much trouble okay?”

Simon nodded fiercely and Alec felt himself smiling.

“I won’t”

“Good. Now you”

She turned to Simon and pointed her pencil at him

“Either you’re going to stop feeling insecure and disposable and pull yourself together or I’m going to personally ask Izzy to break up with you myself.”

“I didn’t say any─”

Simon started but Clary didn’t let him finish,

“I don’t want to hear any more pining for the next...”

She looked at Alec questioningly and he did a quick count in his head,

“6 days.”

“The next 6 days Simon Lewis. Izzy cares about you and it’s not fair to us as your friends to have to listen to this much whining when you’re actually dating someone who treats you nicely you understand?”

Alec pulled his book a little up to hide his failure in keeping a steady face at the scene before him. Trust Clarissa Fairchild to reason like that.

“Yes mam”

Simon said robotically and visibly relaxed when the pencil was out of his face,

“I swear for a second I thought it was your Mom shouting at me”

Clary leaned back on her chair and propped a knee up against the table to put her clipboard on it, smiling and clearly pleased with herself. Simon still a little shocked turned to Alec and said,

“You felt it too didn’t─ are you laughing?”

Simon asked with wide open eyes and Alec pierced his lips to stop himself.

“I’m sorr─”

He was interrupted by the sound of Clary breaking into a laugh herself and somehow that broke all of Alec’s restrains and they were both laughing together. Simon just looked at them, a betrayed expression on his face before shaking his head saying,

“Why? Why did I have to have the worst friends in the galaxy?”

***

“So”

Jace dropped himself on his seat at the table and took a look around,

“When’s the party?”

“Party?”

Jordan’s head snapped to him from where it was buried in Maia’s neck and asked accusingly,

“What party?”

Jace picked up a few fries from the shooting guard’s plate and said,

“Surely I don’t need to explain to you what a party is?”

He threw the fries in his mouth and raised a brow at Jordan’s annoyed expression.

“I didn’t think you’d have time for whatever they are seeing as you should be _working_ on some things?”

Jace waved a dismissive hand at him,

“I already took care of that. So?”

He looked toward the glittery senior sitting across from him,

“Magnus?”

“Sorry darling I’m currently in the middle of planning my fabulous annual Halloween party and can’t afford any distractions”

Jace raised a brow at the blonde sprawled over his half naked chest and Camille only grinned at him before lifting her head up and capturing Magnus’s lips in a _very_ French kiss.

Jace couldn’t help but chuckle,

“Okay not Magnus then. Anyone else?”

“Should this really be your biggest concern right now?”

Maia asked as she got off Jordan and went up on the table where she always preferred to sit before her boyfriend managed to drag her down on his lap.

“Not the answer to my question Roberts”

“She’s not wrong”

Jordan said and Jace completely ignored his pointed look, crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair,

“Well if no one’s getting their hands dirty I guess I’ll just have to throw one myself”

“Aren’t you technically grounded?”

Aline asked and Jace shrugged,

“My Grandma’s been taking it easy on me since I told him I fixed Alec Lightwood. And she’s off to some business trip in London so doesn’t matter anyway”

“Some grounded you are”

Aline said shaking her head but Jace thought it was only logical that the Principle’s daughter would have a different idea of being grounded than him.

“That’s why you were at harassing them at their table just now?”

Aline’s girlfriend Helen asked and Jace nearly snorted before glancing at the far end table and seeing Alec and the annoying ginger laughing. Oh so he was capable of that too, that was good news for Jace.

“You shouldn’t be talking to nerds right in the middle of the cafeteria Jace,”

Camille said apparently no longer occupied with Magnus’s mouth

“Your reputation can be damaged”

“My reputation rests upon the fact that I don’t give a shit Camille.”

The blonde shrugged and took out her pocket mirror probably to make sure her make up wasn’t damaged from her little make out session with her boyfriend.

“Alec’s good”

Catarina said eyes to her book before sipping her coffee and Jace was hit with the shocking realization that Alec Lightwood was not the only person he’d seen that carried a fucking book everywhere he went.

“I know”

He said and picked up the basketball from where it was sitting in front of Jordan’s plate of fries and started spinning it on his finger,

“Which is why I’m not worried”

“Which is why he’s not failing calculus.”

Raphael whispered to himself but Jace caught it. He stopped the ball and raised a brow at their small forward sitting next to Cat,

“Did you say something junior?”

Raph only returned his gaze silently. An empty soda can hit Jace’s chest.

“Leave him alone”

Jace sighed patiently and moved his eyes over at the end of the table to the only person who did shit like that.

“It’s not his fault his captain doesn’t know the sensible to do when failing a class is studying said class and not throwing parties”

Lily said not even bothering to take her attention off her latest conquest currently draped all over her lap.

Jace threw the can in the middle of the table a little fed up with his friends’ attitudes

“So does that mean you won’t be coming?”

“Jace if you don’t want to study you could at least help me─”

“No”

Jace turned to Jordan seriously, all the playfulness gone from his voice,

“You’re the captain now Kyle. Deal with your responsibilities”

Jordan opened his mouth no doubt to protest but Jace had had about enough. He’d done right by his team and gone literally down on his knees for Alec Lightwood to take him back to make sure he wouldn’t miss the game with St. Raziel’s. But his team needed to learn Jace wasn’t the answer to every fucking problem too. He took a look at any member of the team he could find sitting around the table and said,

“All of you should stop being a bunch of wankers and learn how to play without me because it’s only the beginning of the season and no one knows what’s gonna happen further in. And what are you gonna do every time there’s a problem? Wait around for me to come save your pathetic asses instead of dealing with it yourself? That attitude’s not gonna win fuck let alone the fucking championship”

He said sternly in a voice that left no room for argument. Jace always did practically everything because he could but in the end basketball was a team sport and he had come this year to win the championship. So if this ridiculous predicament with calculus was going to provide an opportunity for his team to find their own way around the basketball court without him and get stronger and better, Jace was going to make sure that happened.

No one said anything and the only sounds at the table were coming from Lily and her brunette’s intense making out. Jace thought he could add that they had a strong team this year and a really good chance at making it to the Glens Falls Civic Center for finals if only they stopped whining and got to work but he figured what they needed right now was some tough love shit so he just leaned back on his chair and pulled out his phone,

“So does Friday night work for everybody?”


	4. One Man's Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first official (technically second) tutoring session.

Jace was sitting in his car checking his latest texts.

_“I’ll be done around 4. Should get there by 4:30 or so. You be here at 5.”_

_“Why don’t you just come to my house?”_

_“Cause it’s gonna be a much longer ride from Queens to Manhattan and we need all the time we can get?”_

_“Why do you have to go all the way to Queens? Have your other student come to your house”_

_“Would you just come? If I could avoid any more discussions with you I really would have”_

He exhaled and took a look at the house he was supposed to be in 10 minutes ago. If it was up to Jace, he would want to do something as absurd as studying calculus _willingly_ in a familiar territory and not in this all-normal setting where you expected people to come out with lawn mowers and ask you about your day or whatever the fuck people did living in places like this.

But Jace figured he had to get used to Alec calling the shots because he was the senior with a busy schedule doing him a favor. Not that he’d actually said anything but Jace did prefer not pushing it. He and Alec had been texting a lot since yesterday to decide on a study plan to get Jace to where he wanted in less than 3 weeks and Jace thought if he had to come all the way here for their first official session (well, second technically) he could do that. The plan seemed hopeful and had convinced Jace he’d made the right choice going back for Alec. But still it didn’t mean he’d magically gotten enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Sure, he wanted to get back to his team as soon as possible and Alec was definitely not the pain in the ass Jace thought he would be (if only Jace could avoid his friends for the duration of their acquaintance), but he couldn’t help but feel a little… disheartened. However. As the case were that didn’t mean jackshit and Jace was looking forward to kicking those St. Raziel’s Angels’ asses so deciding that sitting in his car wasn’t gonna make it any less unpleasant he got his books from the passenger seat and got out.

Walking up to the front door he rang the bell and heard someone yelling a second later.

“I got it Mom!”

Jace heard some thumping and then the door opened.

“You’re late”

Alec Lightwood said with an accusing undertone and stepped aside to let Jace in.

“This is not my late Lightwood”

Jace said entering the house and somehow managed to successfully sound casual but seeing how Alec tried really hard not to roll his eyes at that genuinely made him feel better. The number of facial expression he was getting out of the raven haired boy was increasing and Jace liked it far better than the blank stoic face that didn’t move a muscle no matter what Jace did. Maybe he could help the senior loosen up a little. That would be fun. Or maybe a little too ambitious.

“Alec sweetheart who was it?”

A woman who could only be Alec’s mother came out and they both turned to face her.

“My student. Mom this is Jace Herondale.”

Jace flashed a charming smile,

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Lightwood”

The woman’s blue eyes that were similar to Alec’s laid on Jace’s face and she let out a soft gasp of surprise,

“My god you look just like your father”

“Mom!!”

Jace didn’t know Alec’s scolding tone was because he felt him wincing or just knew telling someone they look like their dead parent is not the most pleasant thing to hear. Alec’s mom looked like she came back to her senses and said apologetically,

“I’m sorry─”

Jace didn’t want to hear any more about it so he forced his muscles to move into a convincing smirk and said,

“I’m certainly not. I always heard my father was a very handsome man”

He could feel Alec’s eyes on him but Jace’s challenging gaze was on his mother.

“He was”

She said softly and Alec’s interruption didn’t let Jace look for a sign of pity on the woman’s face.

“Okay we’re going now”

He announced a bit loudly and nudged Jace forward.

“It was a pleasure Mrs. Lightwood”

Jace managed to get out as he was being urged up the stairs and heard her say,

“You too dear. Alec honey let me know when you want to take a break”

“We won’t be taking any breaks”

Alec shouted from up the stairs and turned to look at Jace who said,

“What do you mean no breaks? I need breaks Lightwood”

If Jace expected a huff of annoyance or an actual eye rolling this time he hid it well enough when Alec gave him an apologetic look instead,

“Sorry about that”

Jace looked at the sincere blue eyes on him and decided against brushing it off with a snarky reply and just shrugged,

“It’s okay. Not like I haven’t heard it befo─”

Jace trailed off when Alec opened the door to his bedroom and stepped in. He turned around when he noticed Jace had frozen at the door step and took in his – no doubt – stunned expression. Jace, his jaw hanging, moved into the room and ran a careful eye around the place.

“Is this my very own personal hell?”

He said a bit dramatically and eventually looked at Alec who was sporting an unimpressed expression,

“Am I dead?”

Jace said again with the same tone and looked around more intently this time to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating all those _books_!

“Did you bring the books I asked?”

Alec said sitting on his bed and going through a stack of papers.

“Do you enjoy torturing yourself?”

Jace shuddered and took his eyes off the horrible book shelves that lined practically every inch of every wall in the room. Alec looked up at him,

“You do understand that I like this right?”

He said before turning his attention back to the papers,

“Might be your hell but it’s my heaven”

“Oh my,”

Jace said, “All my instincts are telling me to run right now”

Alec only held out the bunch of papers in front of him like he couldn’t be bothered with what Jace’s instincts were demanding one bit. Jace thought he was beginning to see a pattern here.

“Sit at my desk and start with these.”

Jace huffed and took the papers with his free hand and pulling out the chair,

“The things I do for love”

“Really? Jamie Lannister?”

Alec asked blankly and Jace, who normally wouldn’t get excited about this sort of nerdy stuff said,

“Oh thank god! So you do know something other than your books!”

Alec turned to look at Jace, eyebrow raised,

“You do know that show is based off a series of books right?”

Jace blinked a few times before saying,

“They’re screaming really loudly”

This time Alec did roll his eyes.

***

“3 and 6 are wrong”

“You’re wrong”

Jace said mildly (maybe not mildly) childishly, sprawled over the chair staring at Alec with a blank face. Alec just put the book back in front of Jace and said,

“Try again”

“Ughhh!” Jace sat up straight, “I won’t. My darling brain needs a break from all this bullshit”

He complained with a final tone that said he so wasn’t going to try 3 and 6 again. Even though a tiny part of him wanted to because like the last time, Jace _was_ learning something and so getting good at it he liked to challenge himself more and come out on top. But he figured if he spent another minute being the abiding student people might start to get nasty ideas. So he got off the chair and threw himself on the bed. Alec, his head turned to look at Jace settling himself against the bedpost said,

“We’re gonna go downstairs for dinner in a few minutes. You can rest then”

Jace raised a brow and laid his head in his clasped hands,

“Dinner?”

Alec, probably seeing how Jace was making himself comfortable and giving up on him going back to studying, sighed and took his place at the desk,

“Yeah. It’s almost 7 you know”

“7???”

Jace asked genuinely surprised and Alec nodded.

“Wow. I don’t know whether to be proud of myself for putting up with those this long or worried”

A small smile tugged at Alec’s lips and Jace felt oddly satisfied for putting it there. And even though worry was a very reasonable feeling to have over spending two hours of studying calculus straight without complaining (well, not much anyway) he was kinda proud of himself. Alec had said a bunch of nice things that day on those bleachers to make him feel not bad about being an idiot when it came to math, but Jace, thinking it was just some positive reinforcement shit expected to go mad and want to bolt halfway through the session. But studying with Alec – when he wasn’t forced out of bed before _9 on a Saturday_ and not trying his best to _not_ learn anything – was actually much easier than he’d thought. He _was_ the ultimate tutor. He was patient and didn’t make Jace feel like an moron if he had to ask something twice. Somehow he knew how to handle someone like Jace Herondale studying something he hated and worse, wasn’t good at it. It was still very much a challenge and nowhere near interesting and pleasant, but hey. At least he hadn’t bolted. And was actually making progress so he’d take the win.

“You didn’t bring your SAT prep book?”

“Oh isn’t it just gorgeous that you think I’ve got one”

Jace said casually, checking his phone and felt Alec’s judging eyes on him. He locked his phone away and looked up at Alec,

“Tell me something”

“Bring _all_ I ask next time?”

“You really don’t realize this much I have in my possession,” Jace pointed his head to the pile of books and notebooks on Alec’s desk “is a miracle of its own do you?”

Alec huffed and murmured to himself something about having borrowed his own book.

“I didn’t mean that though.”

Jace said shifting a little,

“Something interesting”

“What?”

Alec asked confused.

“I’m bored,” Jace shrugged “I wanna know something interesting about you.”

Alec scoffed and proceeded with checking out Jace’s answers even though he’d done that a dozen times already,

“D’you need anything else? Please don’t be shy”

“Not in my nature”

Jace answered, “Come on Lightwood”

“I’m not telling you something _interesting_ about me. Whatever the hell that means”

Alec said without looking up and prompted Jace to approach from a different angle. Dropping one foot on top of the other he said,

“Need I remind you that for the purpose of learning as my tutor you need to make this very unpleasant journey as comfortable for me as possible?”

Alec turned his head to him this time,

“Really?”

He said unimpressed and Jace was reminded of all those basketball related problems Alec had come up with as the first set of questions they’d gone through.

“Okay that was study related”

Jace said a little resigned. _And very clever_ he thought to himself _._ The Lightwood boy totally knew what he was doing when it came to tutoring and Jace was looking forward to seeing more tricks like that to get him more focused and invested in learning. But he was not backing out this easily,

“You have to tend to my other needs too”

“And your _need,_ ” Alec said eyebrows raised, “is to know something interesting about me?”

“Sure,”

Jace answered, “Think of it as a bonding experience. Isn’t it best for learning purposes that we get close?”

He finished and tried to control the smugness in his voice for managing to gain the upper hand.

“Think we’re about as close as we can get”

Alec said in a low voice and Jace smirked when he saw him looking at the small space between the desk he was sitting at and the bed,

“Oh you’d be surprised. But for now tell me who was your first crush?”

Alec let out a dry laughter, a disbelieved look on his face. But Jace went on,

“Someone from school?”

“I am _not_ telling you that!”

Alec objected loudly and Jace raised an eyebrow,

“Why not? I told you something about myself I’d never told anyone”

Of course Jace wasn’t about to reveal how unpleasant the idea had been. Wouldn’t have worked in his favor here.

“Yeah! _You_ did. I didn’t ask you for it!”

Alec exclaimed, sliding his chair as far away from the bed as the tiny space allowed. That of course, only made Jace more determined to get the answer out of him,

“Oh come on there’s no reason to be embarrassed. Everyone has crushes.”

Alec’s look was murderous now and Jace’s smirk turned evil inwardly when an idea shaped in his head.

“Unless…”

He said and in response to Alec’s inquiring eyes that Jace thought were saying ‘what the fuck now’ continued,

“It was me.”

Jace said and his smirk only deepened when Alec all but shouted,

“ _What!?”_

He was looking at Jace, frowning.

“I was your first crush. That’s why you’re not telling me,” Jace really didn’t know why he was doing this but couldn’t say he wasn’t enjoying it.

“Makes sense now”

He finished and Alec went back to giving him a death glare,

“Oh does it?”

“Hey it’s fine,” Jace held his hands up in surrender,

“Every healthy sexual person has had a crush on me at some point in their lives. It’s only natural,”

He said casually and decided he really liked Alec’s reddened face, “You don’t have to be─”

“Raphael!!”

Jace heard him actually shout this time and his eyebrows went up,

“What’s that?”

“It was Raphael!”

Alec said with his set jaw.

“Raphael?”

Jace felt himself actually taken aback.

“Yes”

Alec confirmed bitterly.

“Santiago? Our Raphe?”

“I don’t know if he’s your Raphe but yes. Raphael Santiago. Happy now?”

“You had a crush on _Raphael?_ ”

Jace asked and this time it was the senior’s turn to shrug,

“Why not? Oh… could it be…”

Alec trailed off and was now eying Jace, his lips tugging into a smirk.

“What?”

He asked and Alec openly grinned,

“You’re disappointed it’s not you”

Jace scoffed,

“Okay I see what you’re doing”

“You were really hoping it was you!”

“In your dreams Lightwood”

Jace said leaning against the headboard, hands behind his head.

“Yeah? You’re right this _is_ interesting!”

“Hilarious.”

“Can we go back to your direct learning needs now?”

The tutor asked superiorly, clearly pleased with himself.

“Please”

Jace said flatly and Alec, still grinning, got up,

“Let me go see if I can find my sister’s book”

He picked the tray of snacks his mother had brought up off the desk and placed it on the bed next to Jace and slipped out of the room. Jace reached out for the bowl of fruit and frustration left him in a minute. Apparently Lightwood knew how to play dirty too and Jace decided he liked that. He was smirking, thinking he just might be able to get the tutor to loosen up after all, when the sound of something from his left snapped him out of his thoughts. Jace craned his neck and sat up straight, his feet off the bed when he saw the window sliding open. A pair of knee high booted legs slipped in and then the rest and Jace relaxed and looked as Isabelle Lightwood gracefully shoved her tall leather clad figure in her brother’s room through the window.

“Well I certainly came through the wrong entrance.”

Jace said with raised eyebrows and saw the moment the younger Lightwood noticed she wasn’t alone in the room. Of course it was Isabelle Lightwood so Jace didn’t expect any more than her brief shock and briefer confusion as she came to recognize the second occupant and let out a chuckle,

“What force of nature made _you_ take tutoring classes with my brother?”

She smoothed down her leather jacket and turned to close the window.

“My, Lightwood is that a lack of faith in your brother? The only possible reason for me to be in his bedroom at this time of day, on his bed, by myself?”

Jace asked as he moved to sit in his previous position now that he didn’t have to fight some burglar. Isabelle Lightwood answered surely,

“It’s the lack of faith in you. And complete trust in my brother’s judgment for bedroom companions.”

Jace rolled his eyes at that but the junior Lightwood only marched forward in long strides and took a casual glance over at the desk,

“Calculus.”

She bent down slightly and picked up an apple off the fruit bowl and said, “Shocker. Blackthorn’s butchering it” before effortlessly leaning against the desk and taking a bite.

Isabelle Lightwood was the kind of girl who didn’t really need the stamp of popularity in high school for people to notice her. She sat with her and her brother’s nerdy friends one of whom happened to be – for unknown reasons – her boyfriend. But she was in the fencing club and based on how she knocked one of the guys from the football team on his ass in the hallway freshman year without breaking a sweat it was clear she also practiced in some kind of martial art. Which seemed to make her sense of fashion and make up only more enchanting to people who liked to obsess over her. And Jace knew first hand, there were a lot. She was in a bunch of Jace’s classes (not calculus!) but even though Isabelle Lightwood was not Jace’s type and nor he hers – thank fuck – and they didn’t share the same circle of friends Jace knew her enough by now not to be surprised by her behavior in reacting to all but literally two seconds of having faced the situation. Annoyed, yes, apparently it was a thing Lightwoods did. But not surprised.

“You don’t take it”

Jace lead with that and Isabelle gave her a look over her apple,

“Because she butchers it”

She stated and resumed with her apple and Jace decided to just shut up and wait for Alec.

“Where is my brother anyw─”

Isabelle asked this time but before she got to finish the door – the thing normal people came through places – swung open and Alec came in eyes on the book in his hands,

“I found this but─”

“It’s mine?”

Isabelle said and pushed off the desk, going to her brother. Alec’s head snapped up and took in his sister standing in front of him before breaking into the most sincere grin Jace could’ve imagined for the tutor,

“Izzy?”

He slung his arms around his sister and lifted her up a little, letting out a startled laugh,

“I thought you wouldn’t be back until next week!”

He put her down and Jace saw that Isabelle was smiling softly when she said,

“Too much rain. Couldn’t take it anymore”

“Where’s Max?!”

Alec exclaimed still smiling brightly and Jace wanted to say something to show he was still very much there but someone beat him to it.

“Alec!!!”

A tiny thing – Jace assumed probably Max – shot through the room and clung to Alec’s waist. Alec was shoved back a little before he steadied himself and circled one arm around his little brother’s shoulders, smile only broadening.

“Hey buddy!”

He said, “I missed you! Welcome home!”

He ran his other hand in Max’s hair affectionately and Jace looked away uneasily, thinking no one actually had allowed him to bear witness to such openness in Alec Lightwood.

“I missed you and Mom too!”

Jace heard Max say and since it wasn’t muffled anymore he figured the boy had likely stopped burying his brown head in his brother’s shirt, “I got you books!”

Jace stopped himself before snorting loudly because of course that was something to be excited over for Alec Lightwood. Was it seriously normal though? Or the byproduct of some certain lifestyle Jace wanted to avoid with everything he was, if that were the case.

“Thank you Max!”

“Yeah! I bought it from─”

“Max I would _love_ to know all about your trip and I will in bit but right now there’s someone who’s been waiting for me and I can’t keep him okay?”

Jace suddenly felt all the attention was on him so he looked up at the bunch of Lightwoods who were no longer occupied with themselves, staring at him.

“Oh please don’t stop on my account,” Jace waved a hand, “I’d hate to disturb such a lovely reunion”

Isabelle gave him a look of mild amusement which Jace was sure was on the count of having been reunited with her dear brother and would change into utter indifference in no time, and the youngest Lightwood was looking at him curiously.

“I know you”

Jace smirked and got off the bed, “Do you now?”

“You’re the captain of the basketball team”

He walked up to the Lightwoods and crouched down a bit in front of their youngest,

“Well that’s true,” Jace said and held out his hand, “but you can call me Jace.”

Max Lightwood hesitantly shook his hand and said, “I’m Max”

Jace stood straight up and asked,

“Do you like basketball Max?”

Round grey eyes looked up at him and Jace got a little nod in response,

“It looks fun”

“It’s tons of fun,”

Jace declared with a confident smirk and continued, “I’ll take you down to the court one day. Show you how it’s done. Would you like that?”

Jace probably shouldn’t have found little Max looking up at his older siblings and silently asking for permission adorable but he did. He didn’t have much experience with kids but he found Max Lightwood easy to like.

“Of course you can go Max”

Alec said smiling at his brother and Max turned to face Jace with a victorious grin. Jace winked at him but didn’t get to say anything because Alec kneeled down in front of him and continued,

“Now do you want to unpack and take a shower before dinner? We’ll be down there by the time you’re finished and you can tell me everything.”

Max nodded and Alec ruffled his hair before standing up. Isabelle took Max’s hand,

“Come on Max. These two have something to take care of”

The two left the room and Alec closed the door behind them. Jace let out a sigh,

“Never has the something I had to take care of and needed an empty room for ever been calculus”

Alec turned to look at him,

“And here I was, wanting to thank you for being nice to my brother”

He said but there was no heat behind his words. They moved toward the desk and the bed and Jace said,

“He’s a good kid.”

He sat on the bed, not bothering with the desk and neither did Alec, sitting opposite him and opening the book between them.

“Yeah he’s great”

“At least now your friend can stop whining about the threats of long distance─”

“Don’t be an asshole”

Alec said looking at Jace a little more seriously than he’d liked,

“Fine” he huffed out, “Why didn’t you go with them anyway?”

Alec went back to flipping through the pages of the book and just muttered a ‘Senior year’ before reaching out to grab a pen and paper from the desk. Jace felt there was more to it than just that but decided to not be an asshole and didn’t ask about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it I would love to hear your thoughts<3


	5. Is Another Man’s Heaven

“So… wanna tell me the real reason you cut the trip short and came back early?”

Alec asked Izzy while drying his hands. They’d washed the dinner dishes together because their Mom had gotten an emergency phone call from someone at work and had to leave. Izzy closed the refrigerator door and turned to look at Alec, the exhaustion showing in her face.

“We didn’t cut it short. Annamarie had to go back to London for work and I figured why roam around an empty house for a whole week?”

“Iz…”

Alec said as softly as he could manage because he knew that wasn’t the whole story. But he also knew his sister. Trying to force something out of Izzy never worked. Alec was relieved when she sighed and moved closer to him but winced a little when he saw Izzy cross her arms over her chest, as if to protect herself from whatever she was gonna talk about.

“It was weird.”

His sister said not really meeting his eyes.

“The new house. The new routines. The new… Dad,”

She huffed and continued, “I wasn’t expecting anything less but…”

“Seeing it was different than thinking about it”

Alec finished and Izzy responded with a nod, still staring into the floor.

“How was she?”

“She was fine,” Izzy gave a nod of approval with her head, “Didn’t do the whole ‘hey I know I’m the homewrecker who came between your parents but I’m your step mom and gonna be around anyway so we may as well use this opportunity to bond’ shit. So that’s a bonus on her part at least”

Alec felt a tiny relief at Izzy’s word. One less thing to worry about. They skyped while Izzy and Max were away but Max always loved to talk about the places he’d gone to and the older siblings resided to texting about the more sensitive stuff. Alec didn’t ask much though because he didn’t want the tension of divorce and everything seep into Izzy’s time where she was supposed to be having fun and enjoying herself. But he had worried about the situation with their new _stepmother_ and Max and Izzy in the middle of it all by themselves. Among other things. But it was good to know at least she wasn’t trying to normalize everything so soon. Alec didn’t agree with Izzy. Annamarie Highsmith was just the symptom of everything that had happened between his parents and not the cause but he didn’t want to point that out to his sister. She was Robert’s girl. And Alec knew how hard it’d been for her to come to terms with their Dad’s cheating and the way he’d treated Alec when he’d come out. Max didn’t know. And Alec… he didn’t care that he couldn’t forgive him. Well… not as much as Izzy anyway.

“But really it was just me and Max in the empty house. And of course the awful weather. So we decided to come back.”

She finally looked up and smiled at Alec,

“Also missed you”

Alec threw the towel on the counter and went to give his sister a hug. She was always so strong and wonderful in everything and that only made Alec’s big brother instincts go crazier because he wanted to be there and take care of his baby sister on the very rare occasions she allowed it.

“I missed you too. I’m glad you’re home”

Alec said and kissed her forehead before pulling away. Izzy grinned and leaned her hips against the kitchen island,

“So am I”

Alec smiled at her and decided it was enough talk about their Dad and his new wife for one night.

“Have you told Simon yet?”

Isabelle’s grin turned mischievous and she shook her head, “I’m gonna surprise him in the morning”

“By climbing through his window?”

Alec chuckled as he put the kitchen towel away.

“Are you sure you want to know the details of me surprising my boyfriend after weeks of─”

“Okay okay enough! Please!”

Alec practically shouted and covered his ears, shaking his head. He didn’t want that one single tiny little bit.

Izzy just laughed and said, “What about you?”

She cocked her head to the living room where Max and Jace had been playing some kind of basketball video game while Alec and Izzy were taking care of the dishes, “Why didn’t you mention anything about the Goldilocks out there?”

Alec let go of his ears and shrugged,

“What’s to mention? I tutor people all the time”

“Not the captains”

Alec couldn’t help but groan at that and Izzy laughed, “Well why’d you take him on?”

Because Blackthron sucked? Because despite what Jace had accused Alec of he was very well aware of the importance of the championship this year and Jace’s role in actually winning it? Because he couldn’t very well turn Jace Herondale down after he’d been honest with him and asked for his and only his help on something he felt so insecure about? Instead of all of that though Alec just glanced to the living room where the captain and his little brother were playing and talking animatedly,

“He’s not as bad as he looks”

Well… at least if today was anything to go by. If stupid remarks were the only thing he had to put up with Alec could deal with that. It could even be fun if he got to turn them around on the blond like today. Alec only felt a little bit smug for proving to the most wanted boy in school he couldn’t get under his skin by talking about things like crushes and such stuff. Even though it’d come really close.

“No he’s not,”

Izzy said following his line of sight, “But he could be”

Alec looked back at his sister,

“I can handle him Izzy”

“You shouldn’t have to”

She said with a tone that was bordering on her scary protective seriousness so Alec thought to do some damage control and said,

“Oh and you should?”

Izzy shrugged and said,

“Why not?”

“Like you handled Mason Bradly?”

Alec said challengingly and Izzy grinned,

“Precisely like that. I know how _you_ would’ve handled him”

Bradly was the idiot who’d thought getting too handsy with Isabelle Lightwood was a good idea and Izzy was right, if Alec had been there he would’ve had more than a sore ass to worry about so he let out a laugh,

“Well, he’s no Mason Bradly,” Alec pointed his head to the boy in question and by that he solely meant Jace Herondale had no desire to grope him, “And I can handle him”

“Never said you can’t but fine,” Isabelle finally resigned, “But you have to tell me if he became too much a headache. I won’t go apeshit on him,” Upon seeing the look Alec gave her she rolled her eyes and added, “ _much_ ,”

Alec couldn’t help but laugh and Izzy went on,

“But you have to talk to me”

She said giving Alec a serious look and he answered before it felt too much like she was seeing straight through his soul,

“Alright, alright.”

Izzy smiled, pleased with his answer and seemingly knowing not to push any further. Alec was beyond grateful for his sister even though he wished sometimes she wouldn’t worry about him this much because that was Alec’s job.

There was a loud cry from the living room and they both looked to see Max throwing his hands up in the air and moving them excitedly.

“That is not fair”

Jace Herondale exclaimed scowling and caused Max to shout, “I won!”

“Yeah well. I want a rematch Tiny Lightwood”

Jace challenged and Alec who had just entered the living room with Izzy said,

“You’re gonna have to reschedule.”

Max and Jace both turned and Alec looked at the basketball player,

“We got work to do remember?”

“But we’re playing! I won!”

Max groaned and Izzy went to sit beside him,

“I’ll play with you Max.”

“It’s not gonna be as fun with you”

Jace said like it was the most obvious thing while getting up and his face broke into a smug grin when Max agreed with him,

“Yeah! You never let me win!”

Alec tried his best not to laugh when Jace’s face fell at that. Isabelle however, only picked up the abandoned controller and said,

“You win when you’re the better player Maxie. Now come on”

Max went to sit reluctantly and Jace and Alec moved to the staircase and he said,

“Thanks for keeping him company”

“No problem,” Jace waved a hand, “I mean I don’t know about your heaven but mine doesn’t have cleaning up in it”

Alec smiled a little and raised an eyebrow,

“And letting him win?”

“He’s a kid!”

Alec turned and resumed up the stairs, hiding his huff of laughter. Jace caught up with him and asked suspiciously,

“Wait does your sister really never…”

Alec shook his head and repeated Izzy’s words,

“You win when you’re the better player”

They reached Alec’s bedroom and he saw Jace’s face pulled in a frown when opening the door.

“You guys are mean siblings”

Jace said and Alec only shrugged and moved to his place on the bed.

“What’s it like?”

Jace asked sitting at the desk. Alec glanced up from the papers he was ruffling through to find their next task and asked,

“What?”

“Having siblings.”

Alec could feel Jace swiveling slightly on his chair and momentarily froze. He knew he had to choose his words carefully,

“I don’t really know how it’s like not to have them.”

He said and forced himself not to look at Jace to see if he was feeling… Alec didn’t really know what he could be feeling. Jace’s parents passed away when he was around 8, same age as Izzy which was why Alec remembered. Maybe if they’d lived he could’ve had a brother or sister of his own. Alec prayed he hadn’t gotten him to thinking about such stuff. It was bad enough that his Mother mentioned Jace’s Dad and how much he looked like him.

“Fair enough,”

Jace said casually and Alec felt a little bit better though he guessed even if the blond was feeling anything else he’d be good enough at hiding them from Alec anyway.

“So what more shit do we have for tonight?”

Jace asked and leaned forward to hover over and Alec let out a sigh and got up,

“Come on”

He picked up the books and papers they needed from the bed and desk.

“Where?”

Jace asked taken aback and Alec backed towards the door answering,

“Does it matter? I thought you wanted to get the _hell_ outta here”

Jace let out a surprised chuckle and got up,

“It does creep me out in here”

Alec opened the door and stepped out,

“Well hopefully you won’t feel that way in my Mom’s office”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I had this ready when I posted the previous chapter and I said I won't post it until I write the next one so I'll always have one at the ready for when it gets too long and I haven't touched the keyboard. Guess how much of the next chapter is done?-_- seriously.  
> Anyway I'm sooo glad that you guys are reading and liking this story honestly it's like nothing to share your ideas and writings with others and they like it so I'm very grateful to all of you<333  
> Hope you enjoyed this one too and I promise I'll get the next chapter ready as soon as I can  
> Have a nice day and of course like always I would love to hear your thoughts!


	6. Threats, All Sorts of Drama and Huge Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title pretty much says it.

Camille Belcourt was a bitch.

And Jace was being kind. And very _very_ polite.

Fact was, if anyone else had lied and cheated on his friend and hurt him he would have had enough to say about them to recite poetry with. But that would’ve been in the case of the French bitch taking her poisonous leave from their lives and well… Magnus was an idiot. He was a devastatingly in love idiot which in Jace’s book meant the same thing anyway but whatever the case, he’d forgiven her. And they were back together so Jace – and frankly everybody else – had to shut up and refrain from saying out loud exactly what they thought of her. And so aside from the fact that she’d managed to cheat on his friend, emotionally manipulating and abusing him and somehow convincing him to take her back, she’d messed with Jace’s whole life by being the conniving bitch she was that had gotten Catarina and Ragnor to plan the brilliant stalking scheme to catch her in the act to prove to Magnus that he needs to kick her out of all their lives instead of giving her second shit chances. Of course Jace had been the insightful soul to point out to the two genius seniors that even if this worked and they did dig out something Magnus would probably be furious to know how they disrespected his wishes and actually _stalked_ his girlfriend throughout the city. But the brilliant master minds just said better him furious at them and rid of Camille than being betrayed by her again. Jace figured they’d know best so he went along with it. And he normally would’ve liked roaming around the city at night going from club to club except he couldn’t relax properly cause he had to keep an eye on a certain blonde so it had not been a fun ride. Especially when he was reminded last minute – by a very angry Catarina – that it was his turn that night and he couldn’t treat himself to his bed and a good night sleep at the end of his hectic draining day. So yeah, Jace thought as he was rubbing his temples walking towards his seat in the lab – Camille Belcourt was an absolute fucking bitch.

“Would you watch where you’re going Blondie?”

Jace lifted his head and upon seeing the person in front of him he said,

“Oh you,” He sighed and Isabelle Lightwood’s smirk only deepened, “Just what my morning needed”

He supposedly muttered but it was loud enough for the She-Lightwood to hear.

“We have chemistry together”

Isabelle said and Jace gave her a look gesturing with his hand,

“We’re in the fucking lab”

“Exactly”

The brunette’s tone wasn’t all cheery anymore and instead she fixed Jace with a serious gaze and crossed her arms over her chest saying, “And I can set it on fire with you inside and make it look like an accident”

At loss for words Jace only managed hesitantly,

“I would bet on that”

“Alec thinks he has to help everyone even if they don’t deserve it. If you pull some kind of shit with him…”

Isabelle trailed off warningly and Jace dutifully said,

“Torched in the lab. Got it”

“Well look at you,”

Isabelle Lightwood said cheerfully again, smiling encouragingly “Might just be hope for you yet blondie”

She patted Jace on the shoulder and waltzed past him, not at all like she’d just been very vividly describing his demise at her own hands. Thinking what his life had come to Jace managed to stifle a disbelieving laugh and let out a sigh which was much more appropriate while walking up to his table and thinking at the same time of Alec’s calm and patient nature and how two siblings can be so very _very_ different.

***

Jace had just woken up from his slumber throughout the entire chemistry class and thought to do something productive in the last few minutes when someone was dropped on his lap.

“Hey you”

His head snapped up from the equation he couldn’t finish last night because of Cat’s call and took a look around the moving students, he realized he’d missed the bell. But seeing as he had a girl on his lap there wasn’t much else he could put his focus on.

“Well hello”

Jace said slinging an arm around Kaelie’s waist and flashing a charming smirk, “Haven’t seen you in a while”

The cheerleader scoffed,

“You’re joking right? You’re the one who’s been favoring the company of nerds and loners for weeks”

“And still I only have eyes for you”

Jace said and tightened his hold on Kaelie when she grinned and leaned in to kiss him. There was no certain longing in the kiss and it made Jace content to know even if Kaelie was complaining about the lack of attention she hadn’t been waiting around for Jace. They weren’t a thing. They were something, Jace assumed. Byproduct of being attractive and highly sexually active teenagers along with practice sessions involving stretching and flirting well… a lot happened in victory parties. But he and Kaelie weren’t _the_ thing that Jace always avoided and had to go through a few unpleasant experiences before realizing being upfront about everything right from the start was the key to not being smacked on Valentine’s day. Stupid corporate holiday, Jace never knew what the fuss was about. But Kaelie was good. She understood the desire for experience and having fun and most importantly the lack of it for flowers and promposals. So Jace kept her around. Or rather, they kept each other around.

“See you on Friday?”

She asked as she got off his lap after ending the kiss and Jace only grinned,

“ _Very_ thoroughly”

The girl smirked knowingly and gave Jace a once over before turning to leave,

“When will that be back on the basketball court? Little Raphael isn’t half as sexy as you running point guard and shouting commandingly at everyone”

Jace’s grin fell,

“Beg your fucking pardon?”

***

“KYLE!”

The shooting guard and his girlfriend both jumped up mid makeout session.

“What the fu─”

Maia’s complaint was cut short as Jace brought the charts and diagrams he’d found in the locker rooms down hard and pointing at them, he gave his teammate a piercing gaze,

“The fuck is that???”

Jordan let out a sigh and ran a frustrated hand through his hair after seeing what Jace was talking about. Maia got up and started smoothing down her clothes,

“You couldn’t possibly behave like a civilized human being could you?”

She looked at Jace and continued mockingly, “Oh yeah that’s right. It actually requires being human and not a class A asshole. My bad”

She shoved at Jace’s shoulder moving past him and he was sort of reminded of the previous night and Alec telling him not to be an asshole. But Jace was angrier than to do anything but dig holes in Jordan’s face,

“Start talkin"

“You need me to tell you?”

Jordan said tiredly, “We’re down our key player so”

“Don’t you fuckin talk to me like that─”

“So much for the guy who said he wasn’t interested─”

“That’s it? You fucked it up because you were being _petty_??”

Jace shouted angrily. Well… shouted _louder_. Jordan stood up and faced Jace defensively,

“We didn’t fuck it up it’s mostly the same─”

“Well that’s the fucking problem isn’t it?! It’s not supposed to be the same with me out! You’re supposed to fill in for me”

“We need a good offense for this week’s─”

Yet again Jace interrupted him mockingly, “What, changed the basketball rules since I’ve been gone? Point guard’s not offense anymore??”

He went back to shouting the last part out and Jordan looked at him sharply,

“I’m not the best offender in point guard. And if I remember you were to one who said we have to do our own thing around the court. My thing is shooting guard”

Jace threw up his hands,

“So I say ‘find your own way around the court’ and you hear ‘fuck the formation’?”

“We didn’t fuck it up─”

Jace lost it at that,

“You put _Raphael_ , who’s never played point guard up against one of the best in the league and you’re saying that’s not a fuck up─”

“Jace!”

This time it was Jordan’s turn to cut him mid-sentence, “This is the best coach and I could come up with okay?”

He let out a resigned sigh and said,

“If you got any ideas we’re open to suggestions. We’re going over it tomorrow after school so if you─”

“I can’t.”

Jace said bitterly but gave up the fight.

“Why not? It’s not a game it’s just─”

“I can’t because every fucking free minute I’ve got is spent on the fucking calculus”

Jace snapped again but it was more at himself than Jordan. It really wasn’t his fault they were in a situation like this. If there were blames to be dished out it was actually all Jace’s. He’d let his situation with his grades get this far. And the fact that the team was mostly made up of freshman and sophomore kids who were playing high school basketball for the first time was Jace’s idea too. He’d handpicked them during summer himself after the seniors in the team – who were most of them – left for college and he was very satisfied with his choices too. They were all new fresh young talents. The dream team to win the championship for Idris High after almost 25 years. But they weren’t experienced. So Jace believed Jordan when he said they’d done the best they could.

“You can’t move some things around? Only for an hour?”

Jordan said almost pleadingly but Jace shook his head,

“Forget it. The game with St. Raziel’s is what’s important for now. We can make up for these later”

***

“Did you get it?... Jace!”

“Yeah! Yeah I got it”

Jace nodded at the page and waited for Alec to continue. When he didn’t Jace looked up to see him looking at him blankly. Alec closed the book,

“No you didn’t”

Jace huffed and leaned back on his chair. They were back in his house for today’s session and his grandma had spared nothing. There were all kinds of snacks and Imogen Herondale had even bothered herself to make the tutor understand he shouldn’t hesitate to call for her should he need something or found one not to his liking. At which point Alec politely said it was really more about Jace’s comfort than his own because it had positive effects on his learning and asked if they could use another room since the library – with its books – wasn’t really Jace’s scene. Jace had hissed that what he found creepy was a fuckin bedroom filled with books and not just any place – even though it was very true. But he’d dragged Alec to his room nonetheless and his grandmother had some of his favorite snacks brought up along with the mellow classic piano coming from the music room Jace knew had to be her. He was actually kind of surprised to see his grandma’s support after all those ultimatums and threats but it was nice to know even with all that she still had his back. However with all those careful preparations Jace still found himself spacing out every now and then so he couldn’t exactly disagree with Alec.

“And now you’re so far off you’re not even realizing you’re not getting it.”

Alec said and maintained eye contact with Jace even when he tried to break it.

“What’s on your mind?”

The senior asked careful enough but Jace just shook his head and leaned forward,

“Just explain it one more time I’ll get it”

“No,” The brunette said stubbornly, “Something’s clearly bothering you and─”

Jace gave him a sharp look “And what, you’re gonna solve it? Sorry blue eyes but that one’s not calculus.”

Alec didn’t budge and answered right away,

“Well if you at least talk about it now you might get your mind off it long enough for us to finish with this session.”

Jace kept staring at him and when that seemed to only make Alec more determined he sighed,

“It’s nothing new.”

Alec raised a brow,

“So basically the only thing that could get you rattled”

Jace shot him a glace, “Why do you ask then?”

Alec ignored that and asked, “What’s wrong with the team now? Specifically”

Jace thought about it for a second and then shook his head,

“It’ll only piss me off more if I start talking about it. Let’s just get this over with.”

Again he leaned towards the book and noticed Alec did the same. But before they started he asked,

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jace wanted to wave that off with a non too grateful ‘you’re already helping’ but remembered Jordan’s offer.

“Actually…”

Alec eagerly waited for him to finish but Jace shook his head. He knew it couldn’t be done. Alec was very busy and Jace was trying real hard not to let Magnus and his friends down with the Camille situation. The plan he and Alec had to get him ready in three weeks was also pretty tight so he couldn’t just slack off anytime he desired and expect Alec to drop everything and clean up his mess.

“Tell me.”

Jace took a look at those eyes and knew there was no point in backing out now.

“Well… you probably can’t do it anyway and I sure as shit don’t want to imply that I’m demanding you put me above all the rest of your students again or whatever─”

“Wanna maybe get to the point sometime this century?”

Okay… nobody’d told Jace Alec Lightwood could be such a sass.

“There’s a team session tomorrow after school. It’s not actual training so there’s no strict rules against me stopping by. And I can go find out what they were thinking putting your first ever crush in my spot for this week’s game even though he’s absolutely not ready for it”

Alec blushed only slightly and Jace thought it was mean of him to feel a little bit better. He suppressed a smirk and went on, “But I know you only have 1 hour with me tomorrow and have another student to get to after school so like I said,”

Jace figured he’d sighed enough for the day. He pointed to the book and added, “This was pointless. Let’s get that over with.”

“I can move some things around”

Alec said and Jace’s head snapped back at him with the disbelief he knew he wasn’t totally successful at filing away. Alec shrugged, “I can cancel my other student and stay with you after school. That way you can stop by your team’s session and when you’re done with that we just get to this right after.”

“You’d cancel the other guy for me?”

Jace asked with a raised eyebrow and Alec nodded, “I actually think he’d be fine. I’ll have to move you around for him once but we could do something about that later”

“So wait we’re really doing this?”

“Yeah,”

Alec said simply and looked away to the books,

“Now let’s keep going with this.”

Jace didn’t take his eyes off him. It didn’t add up. He tilted his head and said challengingly,

“Okay you’re telling me you don’t have a problem with that?”

The senior looked back at him with curiosity in his eyes,

“With what?”

“Cancelling studying? For _basketball_??”

“It’s not totally cancelling. And besides it’s not just basketball it’s… a huge deal for you isn’t it?”

Somehow Jace knew what the tutor meant by ‘a huge deal’ said in that delicate tone. He eyed Alec suspiciously,

“And you’d care about that?”

Alec seemed genuinely offended,

“What do you think I am, an emotionless passionless piece of nerd?”

Jace started listing,

“You’re a tutor. Probably never gotten a B your whole life─”

“That’s ridiculous everyone’s gotten a B at some point”

Alec argued but Jace went on,

“You got fuckin college level biology books stacked up in your room─”

“Okay first of all,”

Alec interrupted him firmly,

“Yes I’m a tutor but I always learn better when I try to teach it to someone else. Also it’s a job. Do you even know how much your grandmother’s paying me hourly for putting up with you?”

Jace didn’t but that didn’t stop him from retorting, “What are you gonna do with it? Buy more books?”

“And yes I do have college biology books in my library because I like to be as prepared as possible for when I’m a med student.”

The senior finished and stared right into Jace’s eyes. He couldn’t stop himself from sighing this time,

“Of course you wanna be a doctor”

“Yeah. It’s a huge deal for me”

Alec said firmly.

“Fair enough,” Jace said smirking but only out of finally finding some common grounds with the tutor. “Well shall we?”

He pointed to the books and papers in front of them with his head and Alec nodded. Jace stole one final glance before they started on shortcuts for differential equations again and thought it was pretty cool that they both knew already what their huge deal was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope you're all doing fine these days! I'm so glad to be back - kinda sleepy too it's almost 3 a.m. - but mostly happy! This by no means was a masterpiece and I didn't have time to edit either so I apologize for any weird thing you might've encountered. I hope you all enjoyed it and as always I'd be delighted to know what you think!


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